Only one thing is more dangerous than the devil himself; that’s believing he’s not a living being but only a symbol of evil. Deceiving people to accept this lie, if not at the top, ranks high on his list of tactics—and it’s working. A Barna Group national survey reports 40% of Christians don’t believe in Satan and another 19% somewhat agree with this prospective. The ramifications of this disbelief are multiple. Without the devil as the cause of evil, when disappointments, problems, and tragedy arise, this only leaves God to blame. “How can a loving God allow this to happen to us?”
We once employed a professor who previously had been a gang member in New York but left her former lifestyle. She went on to earn a PhD writing her dissertation on gang strategy. Our campus was located in a county where government officials boasted there were no gangs. She tried warning them multiple gangs were beginning to saturate the area by discreetly establishing strongholds. Leaders finally acknowledged a problem existed, but it was too late. Today, law enforcement struggles just to contain gang violence. Military strategists will tell you acknowledging and knowing your enemy is essential for winning any battle. People who don’t believe the devil exist will never prepare to defeat what they accept as a symbol.
Another result of refusing to acknowledge the devil comes when believers challenge sinners about their immoral lifestyles. Without knowledge that Satan is real, they blame God— “God made me who I am.” We live in a time that blaming others and God has become the normal response if someone confronts a person about their sin. Blaming others and God for one’s failure is nothing new. It began in the Garden of Eden. Eve blamed the serpent and Adam not only blamed Eve, he also accused God. The man said, “The woman YOU gave me . . .” [emphasis mine] (Gen 3:12 MSG). In other words, Adam is claiming it was the Lord’s fault because He gave him the women; without her he wouldn’t have sinned. Today immoral people argue, “Sin is a natural part of me because God made me this way.” “I was created this way.” “Your problem is with my creator. I can only be who He made” (LivingWaters.com).
The statement, “I was born this way” contains an element of truth. Yes, in fact all of us were born ‘this way’; that’s because every human comes into the world with a sin nature. David wrote, Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me (Ps 51:5 NET). Note he became a sinner, not at birth, not when his heart began beating, but the instant the sperm and egg fused to form a diploid cell. We were born with a propensity to kill, commit adultery, lie, steal, hate, fulfill our selfish desires, become alcohol or drug addicts . . . ad infinitum. The good news—God doesn’t abandon us in this depraved condition. Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim 1:15); The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1Jn 3:8). For we know that our old self [sin nature] was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— (Rom 6:6 NIV).
Jesus broke the power of sin, however this doesn’t eliminate temptation. The devil deceives people into believing they can’t overcome temptation because they were born with these desires. God says, Sin can’t tell you how to live (Rom 6:14 MSG). Sin has always been and still is a choice. Adam and Eve both made a choice to sin by disobeying God to please their own wants. The Serpent (i.e. devil) tempted them through these desires. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate (Gen 3:6). James warns about blaming God. When tempted, no-one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed (Jas 1:13, 14 NIV).
Men and women around the world are filled with misconceptions about God. One false belief is the devil is not a living being and can do you no harm. Jesus declared, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10). God has provided us with the Word telling us the truth and gave us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to overcome Satan’s efforts to destroy us. Don’t be like the county leaders above who didn’t believe gangs existed while these violent groups were establishing strongholds. People may say there is no devil but at the same time he is establishing a stronghold in their life.
When WW I broke out, the War Ministry in London dispatched a coded message to a British outpost in a remote area of Africa: “War declared. Arrest all enemy aliens in your district.” A reply from the outpost came, “Please advise immediately who we’re at war with.” In other words, who is our enemy? We are at war and the enemy is the devil.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Don’t forget the ‘someone’—the devil. Stop blaming God, He’s the only source of help we have.